Christmas is Coming...

...And I still haven't sent out gifts to my parents. Or any Christmas cards. I suck. I guess my folks will have to consider them after-Christmas presents?

Men vs. Women?

I’ve never perused Modern Bride dreaming about wedding dresses, cake, invitations, and honeymoons. But like most women, I one day hope to be married to that special person.

As a woman, I find men fun to be around, good at conversation, and I enjoy being treated like a lady. Doors opened for me, getting help changing that tire, and being courted. It’s really nice and I appreciate all that’s been done for me thanks to you guys.

But Guys – I have a confession – sometimes I wonder what planet you all came from. Why is it that one minute you’re sweet and the next completely oblivious, rude, and obnoxious?

Like most human beings I have a desire for meaningful, sometimes deep conversations with the people in my life. If someone can’t hold my interest for 10 minutes, there’s no way I’d want to spend my life with them, or even get stuck in an elevator with them. No thanks.

Lately I find my boyfriend and I slipping into a weird pattern into where I feel like I’m dating someone in high school. He hangs out with all his high school friends and spends all of his free time glued to his computer screen playing either World of Warcraft or Hellgate London.
I never dated high school guys, and I have to admit, feeling like that now can get on my nerves.
We don’t get to see each other that often, as he lives four hours away in Fort Lauderdale. He’s generally a nice guy.

But… While talking on AIM the other night, I asked him if he could call me so we could talk. 30 minutes later he did, but judging by the sound effects in the background he was rather distracted by WOW and whatever else he was doing at the time to try and ineffectively “multitask.” (He’s not very good at it, by the way) It’s something he does just about every night.

I was a bit annoyed by all the delayed responses over the phone and told him I was going to “let him go” and get off the phone. Really, I was hoping he would give up the computer game and chat with me for a little bit. He didn’t.

After hanging up, I couldn’t shake that pissed off feeling. And to tell you the truth, I still haven’t. He’s tried to Instant Message me, and I think I got a text from him. No response back from me so far.

Is this an over reaction on my part? I don’t feel like it is.

What's My Age Again?

Last weekend I had to work at this huge alternative concert. For weeks before, I figured the logistics would go horribly wrong and that the amphitheatre would be packed, crowded, and chaotic. It was, but much more so than I anticipated.

One of the cool parts of the day was field producing interviews with two of the bands performing, Angels & Airwaves, and Jimmy Eat World.

Let me preface this by saying that back in high school my friend Amy and I were Blink-182 fans. We loved the music video for All The Small Things, which mocks boybands. And of course, we had teen crushes on Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge. (This is not nearly as extreme as my Anderson Cooper crush, though!)

Tom DeLonge is now a member of Angels & Airwaves. According to Wikipedia, he is married with two children. So when I see him and introduce myself, the first thing that comes out of my mouth is, "I remember seeing you running naked across a beach." This was referencing the What's My Age Again? music video wherein the band runs naked through the streets and various settings. His response while touching my arm, "I'm so sorry Are you okay?"

He seems like a pretty cool guy. Regardless of the fact that I saw video of him on YouTube in which he appears drunk during an interview and cusses incessantly. At least he's cute.

Adding That Extra "N"

Moving is frequently cited as one of the most stressful life events, after the death of a loved one, divorce or illness.
While the reasons for moving can be positive – such as the purchase of a house or job promotion – settling into a new home, connecting to a new environment and recreating a home are almost always chaotic and stressful. (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)

The first time I moved was during infancy, crossing the globe from South Korea to the states at age 10 months…. The second, into a college dorm room at age 18… Then to El Paso, TX for a job at age 21… Now to Tampa for another job at age 25.

There is one noticeable difference between this move and every other. Somehow in this one, my nickname changed.

Growing up, I’ve been called everything from Jenny Benny, to Steffen, to Jen Steffens, to Jenny Jones, to Joneser, to Steve-Jen – and of course – the standard Jen. After college, I tried to shed my teen-girl image by referring to myself as “Jennifer” professionally and personally. In El Paso, everyone from my boss to my coworkers to my friends went with that. I liked it.

Somehow, that all changed with the move to Florida. It’s actually quite odd. Everyone I’ve met here now calls me “Jen” but apparently one “n” was not good enough. It’s now spelled “Jenn.” I’ve never spelled my name in this fashion, but everyone here seems to think that’s quite common.

For my entire life, I’ve thought the common spelling for Jen was “Jen.” Apparently not. It’s Jenn. Either way, I don’t mind how my nickname is spelled. It’s just sort of unusual that until a few months ago, I’d never really had anyone spell it with two “n’s.”

The first person to do this was my boss. In emails she would use Jenn instead of Jennifer or Jen. Then that snowballed into more folks when they would see that on her emails… Then AJ wrote Jenn on my birthday card. And just a few days ago, my step-father’s sister-in-law did the same in an email.

Now, I’m not frustrated or perturbed by this – more so perplexed if anything.

Why do Floridians spell it Jenn, while others across the country do it the Jen way. I’ve assumed for a long time that the world is becoming smaller and cultural differences are slowly disappearing. Perhaps that’s not the case. Living in several different areas of the country has opened my eyes to both the obvious and subtle regional inconsistencies and differences.

Living in Buffalo, I know that soda is “pop” and pizza and wings are the inseparable duo.
Until living in El Paso, I had no idea what a quinceanera was until walking through the mall and seeing a bunch of teenagers who appeared to be dressed like a wedding party.
Still, I really wish I could roll my “r’s” - but that’s not going to happen.
Until living in Pittsburgh, I did not know you could end a sentence with a proposition.
(There was once a sign in a dorm lobby that said “TV needs fixed”)
And now I know that in Florida, I’m Jenn.

What I accomplished this weekend:

1. Discovered the entire 75% off candy aisle at Target
2. Got a facial Saturday morning at our local beauty academy at 1/3 of what a spa charges
3. Talked on the phone with boyfriend for way too long, as usual
4. Downloaded Internet channel for the Wii. Super cool feature!
5. Attended friend's boyfriend's art gallery showing
6. Met and spent the evening with a random group of people, culminating in a car theft
7. Exercised for the first time this month
8. Wore a bikini outdoors in November
9. Made dinner courtesy of Taco Bell's kit in a box
10. Frustratingly found out my health flex spending account card is MIA
11. Watched Revenge of the Nerds III and IV

Hilton Head

Last month I realized I was in serious need of some solo R&R time. So I spent a long weekend in Hilton Head, SC. Kept activities minimal, but did try out some hiking at a cool island preserve and got my first kayaking lesson. That was awesome. Also took some photos and here they are...

Walking on the beach was the first order of business.

Feeling foam at my feet is invigorating.

The beach was crisp and breezy, unlike Florida at the time.

Clear skies greeted me my first day there.

Are they looking for bread crumbs and abandoned hot dogs?

It didn't take long for these flip-flops to come off!

Also evidenced by this picture.

Ice Breaker

Recently, I attended my first hockey game with my boyfriend. In my lifetime, I’ve been to a handful of professional sporting events. They include approximately five baseball games. That’s it. Unless one college basketball and football game each counts. Somehow I doubt it.
AJ enjoys hockey. I have nothing against hockey. So Saturday night we headed to the St. Pete Times Forum for the Lightning vs. Sabres game. Since I’m from Buffalo and just moved to Tampa Bay, the situation seemed befitting.
Online ticket prices were listed around $25. What I did not know about the Forum was that the Box Office is called the McDonald’s Box Office. I’d thought it meant there was a McDonald’s AND the box office. Interesting sponsorship there...
On our way to the building from the parking garage, we passed two people scalping tickets. On one occasion, I tried to step out of the crowd to ask one of the guys how much he wanted. To my surprise, AJ held onto my arm to prevent me from doing this. Later on, he told me the guy was "shady." Maybe he was... But that didn’t change the fact that the only tickets left at the McDonald’s Box Office were double the price of the cheap seats.
Good thing some other guy nearby was selling tickets for $15. And it turns out his girlfriend and I are both from Western New York.
For being located in Florida, this game sure had a lot of Buffalo super fans screaming "Let’s go Buffalo!"
We were also bombarded with advertisements. I think we should get paid to go to the games. Both fans and companies are paying a lot of money, so teams can pay some goalie from Sweden a million bucks a year. Literally. That translates to $12,195 per game (before income taxes) Whoa. Can you blame the guy? If someone offered me $12,000 to play one hockey game, I sure would give it a run even though I’m sure I’d give my team a handicap.
One thing AJ seemed pumped up for was a Chick-Fil-A deal wherein ticket stubs could get you a free sandwich if the Lightning scored at least four goals. When this happened during the game we were at, that was the only time he got up out of his seat to cheer. Unfortunately, that goal was declared invalid - making the sandwich dream a bust.
To sweeten the deal a bit, I did take my man to Cold Stone. To avoid the post-game rush/traffic jam frustration we hung out in this little area near the water called Channelside in Tampa. It being the weekend before Halloween, meant a sea of rather interesting costumes. Everything from sexy cops to sexy witches to sexy prostitutes? Eh, that’s what Halloween is for.
Overall not a bad night. And I didn’t even have to dress up as a sexy bee or anything.